Natal Midlands, KwaZulu Natal

KwaZulu Natal Attractions

Natal Midlands, KwaZulu Natal

Inland of Durban, lying in an area that acts as something of a respite for all who go there, between Pietermaritzburg and the Drakensberg Mountains, is a beautiful region filled with stretches of farmland, charming little towns, a wonderful arts and crafts route and picturesque scenery bordering on the sublime, known as the Natal Midlands.

The Natal Midlands is rich with water - rivers, lakes, dams and waterfalls are abundant - and the landscape is endowed with green pastures, hills and forests, whilst the northern reaches of the Midlands are dominated by the foothills and mountains of the Drakensberg. If you’re not hiking then spend time exploring the many coffee shops, art galleries, pretty guest houses, cheese farms, trout farms, potters, weavers and painters who have made this region their home. The Midlands Meander is now a wonderfully refreshing mix of over 150 places at which to eat, drink and shop, and extends from Rietvlei and Curry’s Post to Dargle Valley and Fort Nottingham - 80 kilometres of activity.

With Howick Falls on your doorstep, the Albert Falls Dam Nature Reserve with its nature trails, picnic spots, some of the best bass fishing and great birding; the Kamberg Nature Reserve, framed by the Drakensberg Mountains with some incredible scenery and place to walk and picnic; and the Loteni Nature Reserve - a great place for trout fishing, there is plenty for one to do. But you would be forgiven for using your time here simply to drink in the sights, sounds and fresh air of the Midlands, for without doubt here is a place to restore the soul.

Natal Midlands

Destinations / Towns & Suburbs of Natal Midlands

Balgowan

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Balgowan

North of Howick, in the central part of the Midlands Meander that lies between Nottingham Road and Lidgetton, lies Balgowan, one of the most beautiful parts of the country with weather that invariably rolls all four ... Balgowan information

Boston

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Boston

The little town of Boston is barely distinguishable in its own right. Rather it is linked to Bulwer in what has recently become known as the Boston-Bulwer Beat, just over an hour’s drive from Durban in the foothills of ... Boston information

Currys Post

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Currys Post

Curry’s Post is a beautifully scenic area in the heart of the Midlands Meander that lies between Mooi River and Howick. It has a quaint history that involves the Curry Family, after whom Curry’s Post is named, who ... Currys Post information

Dargle

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Dargle

The Dargle Valley and conservancy area is set in the midst of the Midlands Meander in the foothills of the Southern Drakensberg - a land of magic waterfalls, river gorges, grassland, indigenous forest, wild flowers and ... Dargle information

Estcourt

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Estcourt

Lower down in the valley from Van Reenen’s Pass, and in the heart of the Anglo-Boer War territory, Estcourt is a fairly large town that serves as the gateway to the central Drakensberg, together with Winterton just 40 ... Estcourt information

Greytown

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Greytown

Often referred to as the ‘jewel of KwaZulu Natal, Greytown lies in the forest-clad, rolling hills of the Natal Midlands, a picturesque little town originally settled during the 1850s and subsequently awash with ... Greytown information

Hilton

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Hilton

The distinctly English country village of Hilton with its attractive sense of history lies only 10 kilometres from Pietermaritzburg at the start of the Midlands Meander. Hiltons beginnings originated in the purchase ... Hilton information

Howick

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Howick

Known as the place of many waterfalls, owing to the many tributaries of the uMngeni River that tumble down gorges and over sharp inclines on their way to the Indian Ocean, Howick is possibly best known as the place ... Howick information

Ixopo

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Ixopo

Ixopo is the main centre of the Southern Midlands and forms part of an important sugar farming, and forestry area. Although originally called 'Stuartstown', the original Zulu name 'Ixopo' has prevailed. This ... Ixopo information

Karkloof

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Karkloof

Karkloof is a beautiful range of hills stretching for over 50 kilometres between Rietvlei, Curry’s Post and Howick in the Midlands of Natal. This area includes a steep, flat-topped kloof and an extensive range of ... Karkloof information

Lidgetton

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Lidgetton

Close to Howick in the southern parts of the central Midlands, Lidgetton is little more than a quaint trading post that today boasts something of an artists’ community, a café and post office, as well as a surrounding ... Lidgetton information

Lions River

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Lions River

The little hamlet of Lions River lies between Lidgetton and Howick right in the heart of the Natal Midlands about an hour’s drive from Durban; a tiny modest ‘if you blink you might miss it’ village, with not much beyond ... Lions River information

Mooi River

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Mooi River

Mooi River is 160km from Durban and 64km from Pietermaritzburg. Mooi River is a farming and textile centre which was originally named Lawrenceville after the Irish farmer who formalised its settlement during the 1800s. ... Mooi River information

Nottingham Road

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Nottingham Road

As a child, I always thought Nottingham Road was the equivalent to ‘The Wind in the Willows’ in KwaZulu Natal, and indeed, this beautiful part of the world with its old-world country taverns and traditional old family ... Nottingham Road information

Pietermaritzburg

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Pietermaritzburg

Set in the heart of the Natal Midlands in KwaZulu Natal, Pietermaritzburg is a city of charm and dignity, at its loveliest in spring when masses of azaleas burst into bloom. When the first Voortrekkers arrived in ... Pietermaritzburg information

Rosetta

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Rosetta

Rosetta is one of those little villages that, until recently, would have been relegated to a passing glance as you drove through it, on the way to elsewhere. Originally the area was dominated by the Rosetta Farm, ... Rosetta information

Wartburg

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Wartburg

This little piece of Germany is surrounded by hamlets of definitive origin: Harburg, New Hanover, Kirchdorf, Lillienthal, Schroeders and Hermannsburg. Wartburg itself is named after the castle in Eisenach where Dr ... Wartburg information

Natal Midlands

Featured and "Must See" Attractions in Natal Midlands

Albert Falls Dam Nature Reserve

The source of the uMngeni River lies in the uMngeni Vlei area, an ancient wetland bounded by hills. From here it meanders eastward through undulating pastoral countryside until just before Midmar Dam, where it is joined by the Lions River. Below Midmar Dam the river plunges some 111 metres down ... more information

Bosch Hoek Golf Course

Bosch Hoek Golf & Country Estate in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands must qualify as one of the most picturesque layouts in the country. The estate is conveniently positioned at Balgowan near Howick, just a four hour drive from Johannesburg or a leisurely one and a half hour drive from Durban. The course measures ... more information

Gowrie Farm Golf Course

Gowrie Farm Golf Course, one of KwaZulu Natal’s finest golf courses, was built in the traditional way with push up greens and rugged bunkers. The fairways and tees are Kikuyu with bent grass greens and surrounds. Only people over the age of 65 or those with medical certificates are allowed ... more information

Kamberg Nature Reserve

The Kamberg Nature Reserve is within the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park of South Africa and is situated centrally in the foothills of the mountains. Kamberg is known for its excellent fly fishing and recently a Bushman Rock Art Site has been opened to the public. The Kamberg Nature Reserve nestles in the ... more information

Maritzburg Country Club

The Maritzburg Golf Club in Pietermaritzburg is one of the oldest golf clubs in South Africa, dating back to 1886. It has lush, smooth cynodon greens; pine trees line many of the fairways and water hazards feature on seven holes; numerous bunkers; very hilly course with beautiful scenery; excellent test of golf ... more information

Midlands Meander

The enchantment of the Midlands has long inspired many a visitor and resident to creativity and as a result, local artists, potters and weavers combined to create an arts and crafts route in 1985, which was to become the highly successful and popular Midlands Meander. The route stretches ... more information

Midmar Dam Nature Reserve

The large stretch of fresh water from the uMngeni, coupled with 1000 hectares of game park that contains red hartebeest, blesbok, reedbuck, black wildebeest, oribi and zebra, is what makes the Midmar Dam Nature Reserve so attractive. And the fact that it’s just 7 kilometres from Howick and 24 kilometres from ... more information

Natal Museum

Situated just south of Pietermaritzburg’s City Hall in Jabu Ndlovu Street, the Natal Museum is one of South Africa’s five national museums, set in a particularly pretty building that dates back to 1905. The name, Natal Museum, which is in the process of changing in an attempt to reposition itself as it has shifted with the changes ... more information

Pietermaritzburg Botanical Gardens

One of eight national botanical gardens, Pietermaritzburg's Botanical Gardens occupy an ancient floodplain and hillside on the edge of a mist belt that creates an atmosphere, on days when the mists roll in, something like that of a Dickens novel. The city is not known as the City of Flowers for nothing, and private ... more information

Victoria Country Club

Less than five minutes from the CBD of Pietermaritzburg, the Victoria Country Club is superbly located in the scenic parklands adjoining the Queen Elizabeth Nature Reserve, and above all, boasts one of South Africa’s most picturesque golfing venues. The course meanders attractively through rolling ... more information

Sakabula Golf Course

Sakabula Golf Club is a unique combination of agricultural smallholdings around a delightful 18-hole, par 73, golf course in a scenic rural environment. Sakabula Golf Club, situated in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands, is an 18 hole, par 73 course consisting of two very distinct and different 9 holes. The first 9 holes ... more information

Natal Midlands

Featured Things To Do in Natal Midlands

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Natal Midlands

Holiday Accommodation in Natal Midlands

For accommodation in Natal Midlands see:
• Balgowan Accommodation • Boston Accommodation
• Currys Post Accommodation • Dargle Accommodation
• Estcourt Accommodation • Hilton Accommodation
• Howick Accommodation • Ixopo Accommodation
• Karkloof Accommodation • Lidgetton Accommodation
• Lions River Accommodation • Mooi River Accommodation
• Nottingham Road Accommodation • Pietermaritzburg Accommodation
• Rosetta Accommodation • Wartburg Accommodation

See all accommodation at Natal Midlands Accommodation or see Natal Midlands Hotels.

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